Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Funding, Grants, and Loans

http://womanowned.com/ – A great resource website for women who are started out as business owners. It gives instructions for starting a business and articles related to women business owners. Once someone becomes a member of the site they have access to a variety of tools to help run a successful business

http://www.sba.gov/loanprograms – SBA, US Small business administration is operated through the U.S. Government and gives individuals a variety of information for starting a small business. It offers everything from what you need to start a business to the paperwork that is required for a small business loan.

https://www.cfda.gov/ – A U.S. Government run website that provides financial and non-financial programs for the American public. This site is particularly helpful to those who are looking for grants as a financial means to begin a small business. The site offers a great overview on how to write a grant.

http://www.grants.gov/ – Another site operated by the U.S. Government that allows users to search for and stay up to date on grants.

https://www.sbir.gov/ – The Small Business Innovation Research program is another government run site specifically for grants to help small businesses work closely with the federal government when it comes to Federal Research/Research and Development, which could in time be commercialized for the general public. The program has a specific goal of working to help support scientific and technology innovation.

http://ecodevdirectory.com/ – Economic Development Directory helps those started businesses to have quick access to locations for industrial and commercial sites, data centers, offices and retail locations. The site is broken down by state, as well as country. It also offers information relating to consultants in the area who are thinking of starting a business.

http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/small_business_grants/ – Business Owners’ Idea Café began awarding grant money to small businesses in 2001. Idea Café has been online since 1995 and is a great resource to share ideas with other small business owners, as well as a way to find out information when starting a business.

Mentorship, Meetups, and Conferences

I have benefited tremendously throughout my career from mentors. They can be colleagues, professors, bosses, and senior people in organizations. You need that Sherpa in your life to learn the ropes. People who are generous with their wisdom, knowledge, and contacts have been vital. Not just in corporate America but as an entrepreneur. – Paige Arnof-Fenn

http://www.thebossnetwork.org/ – BOSS “Bringing Out Successful Sisters” is an online community of professional and entrepreneurial women supporting each other.

https://new.ewomennetwork.com/ – eWomenNetwork is a premier women’s business network in North America. The goal of eWomen is to help women business leaders build their client base, market their business and have access to a wide variety of resources to help their business grow.

http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/ – Ladies Who Launch is a resource site for women in business who want to grow their business and have success. The information on the site can all be accessed for free.

http://www.witi.com/ – Women in Technology International was created to help women in business advance by providing recourse and support. As a member you have access to other empowered women worldwide.

https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/wbo – The U.S Small Business Administration has a specific program that is devoted to Women Business Owners. It offers women training and counseling, financial resources, federal market opportunities and a variety of resources in local areas. The Office strives to help women overcome the barriers that are often faced when trying to start a business.

Professional Associations

https://www.nawbo.org/ – National Association of Women Business Owners is an organization that for the 40 years has helped women business owners grow in business worldwide.

http://www.nwboc.org/ – National Women Business Owners Corporation helps women in business secure contracts from the federal government through various certification programs that they sponsor.

https://www.nwbc.gov/ – National Women’s Business Council is a non-partisan federal advisory council created to show the U.S. Government the importance of women business owners. The NWBC is the only independent voice for women entrepreneurs and was created to identify the barriers that all women face in the business world.

http://www.wbenc.org/ – The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council is a national non profit that is the leader in women’s business development. The WBENC provides opportunities through certification and a variety of online resource tools for those women who are leaders in the business community.

http://www.catalyst.org/ – A lot of good information for women in business. Catalyst began as a way to connect, engage, inspire, and make an impact in the workplace. Located throughout the world the Catalyst website offers a great deal of information with it comes to being a strong leader, how to get started in business, and connecting individuals with other leaders in business.

Tools for Running Your Business

http://www.kidgistix.com/ – An online management system for the busy business mom. It allows multiple users to quickly enter daily activities and events so everyone is on the same schedule.